I always look forward to a three day weekend - and not just for the time off work. The extra day means we have a chance to take trips to places which are a farther drive or warrant more attention. I look forward to planning out a three day weekends. However... for Martin Luther King Day weekend, I had to work on Saturday. Ugh. Way to shoot some plans in the foot. Oh well, everyone has to take their turn. However, I was determined not to give up and let the weekend go. After I got done with work there would still be time to go somewhere and do something for the rest of the weekend. I looked into some possibilities, talked over my ideas with Josh, and we decided to go to Fussen, Germany. Fussen is a small town in southern Bavaria near the Austrian border. It is a town near Neuschwanstein Castle. We've been to Neuschwanstein - I've been twice - once with my parents, once with Josh's dad and step-mom. But our time spent in that area has always been very rushed. We swoop into town, go see the castle, then leave without doing anything else. This is a shame because Fussen is a beautiful area which warrants more than a quick pass-through. I wanted to spend some actual time in Fussen, see other sights besides Neuschwanstein. I also had a craving for mountains. If you've never lived near mountains than you may not understand. I assume it is similar to people who grew up near the beach who live in an area nowhere near the ocean, and they miss the beach. I miss mountains. I crave seeing mountains. Bavaria was my solution.
We took off on Saturday afternoon and made our way to Fussen. The drive was uneventful, and we found our hotel without any problems. I was quite proud of myself for the deal I found. Our hotel room was actually a small apartment with a kitchenette and a little patio. I was thinking the kitchenette would help save some money so we could cook meals at the hotel. I was pleased with how it looked when we arrived. The bathroom and the kitchen were both new and modern, but the bedroom still had a quaint Germany country feel. Plus, the price we paid was incredible. I think we've found our new Bavarian retreat.
By the time we got to the hotel on Saturday it was dark outside, and there really wasn't much to do (which I figured would be the case). We made some dinner and lounged around for the evening. In the morning we got up, had breakfast, and got ready for the day. When we left the hotel we were greeted with a beautiful site.
Next to Neuschwanstein Castle is Hohenschwangau Castle. We've never been to Hohenschwangau because of time restraints, so that was the plan for Sunday morning. We made our way to the castles to get our tickets and get in line for our tour. I love the scenery around the castles - mountains and a lake. It was a beautiful morning.
It was interesting to see the inside of Hohenschwangau and compare it to Neuschwanstein. Of course we couldn't take pictures of the inside, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say it is elaborately decorated. After our castle tour we went to the Museum of the Bavarian Kings. This is something we've also skipped over in the past to save time. The museum is small, but it does have some interesting artifacts from the old royal family. Although we didn't spend more than an hour inside, I'm still glad we went.
After our time at the castle we went into the town of Fussen. It was a Sunday, so most things were closed, but it was a quiet, sunny day. Perfect for taking pictures.
Cute, quaint, darling... there aren't enough words to describe Fussen. We went inside the city museum. I had read some positive reviews of it online, and it was open on a Sunday, so we went to check it out. A major drawback (which nobody mentioned online!) was the entire museum was in German with no English explanations or audio guide option. So.... although we saw some neat things, we're not quite sure exactly what we were looking at. The museum (to my understanding) was explaining the history of Fussen. Fussen lies right along on old trading route and the city profited from this. The museum is inside of an old monastery, so there are some old chapels and religious artifacts. There was an old "library" which was a part of the museum, and for me it was a highlight. It reminded me of something from Beauty and the Beast.
After the museum we walked to Lech Falls on the edge of town. It is a man-made waterfall on the Lech River. It's obvious it is man-made, but it was still a sight to behold.
There was still some time (and daylight) left in the afternoon, but we had done all we wanted to do in Fussen. I suggested we drive up the road to Weiskirch. Weiskirch is a small Rocco style church which is set in a field along "the Romantic Road" - a stretch of highway that runs from Wurzburg to Fussen. When my parents came to visit the first time my Mom had wanted to see the Romantic Road, but my GPS gave us endless problems trying to find the right road (typical of Henry), so we weren't able to see much of the sights along the road. The church is listed by Rick Steves as a "must see," and it is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Bavaria. As usual, our GPS took us the most complicated way possible and we ended up taking a windy farmer's road to the church (which stressed me out). But, the church was worth it.
We went back to the hotel to relax for the evening and enjoy the last few moments of sunlight. Even though it was cold, we sat outside on our patio and had some wine. The hotel owner's cat came to visit us as we enjoyed the beautiful view we had.
In the morning we gathered up all of our things and planned to head home. I had bought myself a travel book about the Romantic Road at a gift shop the day before. It provided a stop by stop guide to the Romantic Road explaining what the highlights were in each town along the way. From Fussen to the town of Augsburg is about 100 kilometers. We agreed to drive this lower part of the road and drive the rest of it (or another part) at a different time. My new book on the subject has made me want to plan out at least two different trips to places along the road. It was another beautiful day as we drove along.
As I had said earlier, the Weiskirch church was on the Romantic Road, so part of our trip was a repeat from the day before - but what a beautiful thing to repeat. We made a stop in the town of Rottenbuch because it is suppose to have a beautiful church as well - the book said not as well known or beautiful as Weiskirch, but still worth a stop. We found it to be stunning and equally beautiful as Weiskirch.
The church was the only thing to see in Rottenbuch, so we continued down the Romantic Road. Some towns were very small, and just driving through them to "see" them was plenty. I had wanted to make a stop in Landsberg am Lech as I loved the pictures in my book, but Josh wanted to get home and didn't want to take the time to stop (in his defense, a stop in this town would warrant a few hours). So now I get to put Landsberg am Lech into the planning for another trip. As we approached Augsburg we hopped on the autobahn, and this is where the "romance" ended... then it was just a drive back home. But, we had a wonderful weekend and discovered a new Bavarian retreat with the perfect hotel.
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